What is your hedgehogs exercise routine?

After chatting with Helen about the importance of exercise, she was saying that it was far more beneficial to our hedgehogs that they have more exercise time than snuggle time. I know that Helen puts her gang out on a two nightly rotation system, I wondered how many of our members give their hedgehogs extra exercise other than just their wheel....

Taking into consideration viv or zoozone size, it's obvious that the hoggies have more room to play if they are kept in a 48inch viv as opposed to a zoozone or 36x18in viv. Helen recommended that they should definitely have more 'out time' if they were just kept in either a zoozone or a 38 x18 viv (minimums size recommended)

At the moment, all mine get at least 2 hours exercise in the ball pool every evening. I currently have 2 ball pools, one for the boys (obviously one boy out at a time) and one for the girls, sometimes the girls share and sometimes I have snuggles whilst one of them exercises.
During the past couple of weeks, I have been letting one of the hedgehogs stay out for most of the night. Little Miss Daisy Splat absolutely loves it. She is on the mooch all night and if i leave the door open, i can hear her. I would never take the chance and leave both girls in the ball pool together the whole night as i wouldn't be able to supervise them if something went wrong. Also, i would never have Ernie in one ball pool and a girl in the other and just leave them as you would just never know if they did manage to escape and find each other!! Jeez.... Imagine! It's highly unlikely that they would get out, but not worth the risk.

So basically, mine all get 2hours exercise (minimum) each night and then every 3rd night (now it's 4 since I got Mushroom) they have a full night out from about 11.00pm to 7.00am.

That's my exercise routine with my little critters. I was just wondering what everybody else's was.....?

xoxox

I was unable to buy a ball pool here in the states, so we made one. Our are now getting 2 hours an evening out in the playpen we call it. They have their wheels all night in kennels. We do snuggle time of an evening and in morning. I have only one male and He goes in playpen in morning or he really likes to run around in a ball. We had to modifiy slits to keep him from catching feet. Lisa

My favourite topic Mel!!

At the moment, play time starts from 6.30pm

My exercise routine is as follows:-

Hogan, Nora, Woodstock and Priscilla are fine having a play out in the day - they are up and about in the day more so than the APH so they have the two play pens where they spend all day in them.

My herd of APH is split into two groups

Group A

Boss Hog
Alfie
Milligan

- The boys will use the play area last, it is split into two as it is at least 16 foot long and two of them will run out in here and one has the pop up argos pool in the living room - each boy is rotated so they get a turn in the main run and pop up pool.


Hermione
Karli
Lou
Henretta
Clover

- These girls have played out together since they came along at their times in the lives - the main run is huge and has four wheels, tunnels, hidey holes and a couple of sleepy bags if they chose to go in them.


Dougal - I class Dougal as a "special needs" hedgehog, he wouldn't run out if you put him in the run - he has extended cuddle times with Nick and Aunty Alice and myself.


Fabio - Fabio was extensively studded as a male before he came to me - he does not know what a play area - he has calmed down a lot but is still a tad "poppy" he sits on the sofa with me and potters about or just snuggles up - I leave it to him to decide - he does use his wheel on an evening he just isn't all that social!


Group B

Frederick - Has the use of the pop up pool or the main run - normally going out on the second rotation

Hector - he is my baby and we are using out time for bonding time and sofa olympics

Sweet Pea
Daisy
Holly G
Eden
Belle
Honey
Holly
Blossom

- The girls will be split into two groups = Sweet Pea, Honey and Holly have all been introduced together and are fine, Daisy has the pop up pool as she is recovering but once she is fully recovered she will be joining the above girls.

- Holly G, Eden, Belle and Blossom are the second group - mums with litters go in the pop up pool (I have two) with their babies.

As the nights are drawing in you will find your hoggies become more active - when the true dark nights have arrived - mine can go out from 5.00pm to maximise their exercise time and indeed mine do notice the change in the evenings as they are used to my routine - a few are out ready to greet me from 6.30pm

Also aware of the drop in temps so the faithful calor gas heater than sits at the bottom of the main play area in the conservatory is lit for them (has a guard in front of it) so they keep nice and warm when playing out.

Mine is a well organised play time and it works for me and my hoggies - good exercise helps to keep them fit and healthy along with a good diet.

mine get half an hour a night in the play area then cuddles. i am going to get a higher sided pool so i can leave them in there for longer without needing eyes on them 24/7 when in there, then they can play for longer xx

You should get one of them there pools from Argo - they are fab and easy to wipe down and clean xx

i think that is what im going to get, are they still £12? xx

My 3 come out every night for an hr or so

Pebs doesn't really like the play pen so I spend her out time bonding and cuddles

Bambam and tintin love the pen so whilst one is in the pen playing and wheeling I have cuddles with the other and hand feed mealies

Chad Valley My First Frame Pool item number 365/2668

On Sale at 12.49 at argos - you can ring and reserve Jake x

I have my girls in the playpen together ..younger girls then older girls for about a hour and have handle time . Nigel comes out on his own and so does Sheila . While one of those is in the pen I have Humphrey then Murphy cuddles , moo has meme time and Brillo free bases over memes floor .

oh this is a fab thread!!!

Poppy generally sets the rules for herself, shes not much of a cuddler at all, so we would normally have her in the play ben for about half an hour, she plays all the time in her set up though (converted fireplace) its huge so when shes on a mission theres a lot to be achieved!!

Dobby is a cuddle bum, I get him out about 7 and he will normally sleep or cuddle me for an hour or sometimes two, then he has a routine of running up and down the sofa (big corner one!) and then I take him back upstairs and let him out in my craft room for a bit, once hes had enough in his zoozone for dobby time

Benji will let me cuddle him, hes quite an angry little man and sometimes if he isnt in the mood, hes in the ball pit for seconds as if he doesnt want to play tonight he huffs and sort of throws himself at the sides until we take him back to his viv!

Nellie wrote:

Chad Valley My First Frame Pool item number 365/2668

On Sale at 12.49 at argos - you can ring and reserve Jake x

thankyou xx

mine all come out for about 3 hours every night.. we have an hours cuddle time whilst watching telly then they all go in their ball pits for a run round for a couple of hours..i think they enjoy stretching their legs. x

all your playtimes sound fab.iam sad now i havent got one yet.

Hopefully you will have one soon Gemma xx

Thanks everyone, it's really interesting to see what everyone else does

The two ball pools that I use are only quite small and so can only house a wheel, a large tunnel, a pouch and a few toys in there. These are really easy to set up and just as easy for me to put away first thing in the morning. I think I'll get one of the larger one's that you've suggested Helen.

Seeing as I promised that I would only have one hedgehog, and now have four (and room for any rescues on their way too)... I try to make every effort possible to ensure that there are no reasons for any (husband) complaints in having them around. So having something that can be 'popped up' and put away as easy as possible makes a huge difference. My Ray has been fabulous considering he's not an animal lover (he's not a hater either!) and the fact that he's been getting my hoggie rescue room ready for me, he's been a star!

xoxox

I am lucky Mel - Nigel lets me get on with it - works both ways - I am driving to Twickenham to collect some seahorses on Thursday - hey ho!!

Now that i have my hog room Ed lets me get on with it ..on that note just washed 13 wheels and 13 cages .. all spick and span in there now .x

oh i hope so helen.

Thistle gets the majority of the evening in the kitchen for a run around-she then comes out for a hours cuddle before she gets her dinner. She has only really just started to use her wheel in the kitchen in the past few days, she was a bit nervous before I think. She does seem to enjoy it now though. She has a tunnel which she loves and a kong with mealies in it for her to play with as well as the rest of her toys!

I do sometimes leave 1hog in the playpen over night as its huge...and no hog have escaped as yet!
But all the girls play together in the evening while I clean up and feed...gotta watch poppet she can be a bully.
Flint does laps of the attic floor, then swap round with mav.

Lewie comes out at night and has a snuggle and a couple of mealy worms. He then goes in his playpen where he spends most of the time on his wheel. He is in there for a minimum of an hour after which he is given another short snuggle time and then goes to bed. He spends a lot of his time in his wheel at night too, it is lovely listenig to him.

Hugs

JO xx

My hoggies just find a cosy spot and go back to sleep!! Most unsociable!! lol